The best advice for driving in bad winter weather is not to drive at all, if you can avoid it. If you do have to go out allow yourself extra time to reach your destination.

If you must drive in snowy conditions, make sure your car is prepared and that you know how to handle road conditions.

Winterize Your Car
Driving in the winter means snow, sleet and ice that can lead to slower traffic, hazardous road conditions, hot tempers and unforeseen dangers. To help you make it safely through winter, here are some suggestions to make sure that you and your vehicle are prepared.

Your Car
Prepare your car for winter. Its worth taking your car in for a check-up to make sure that all is well and any antifreeze has been added to radiators and that your screen wash is filled with a screen wash that contains anti-freeze.

These are just some of the things that you need to make sure are checked:

• Check the battery.
• Checking the tyres for air, sidewall wear and tread depth.
• Checking antifreeze levels.

Necessary Equipment
An emergency situation on the road can arise at any time and you must be prepared. In addition to making sure you have the check-up, a full tank of petrol, and fresh anti-freeze, you should carry the following items in your boot:

• Properly inflated spare tyre, wheel wrench and
• tripod-type jack
• Shovel
• Jumper cables
• Tow rope
• Bag of salt or sand
• Tool kit

Essential Supplies
Be prepared with a "survival kit" that should always remain in the car. Replenish after use. Essential supplies include:

• Working torch and extra batteries
• Reflective triangles
• Blanket
• Car phone charger
• First aid kit
• Ice scraper and snow brush
• Non-perishable, high-energy foods like unsalted canned nuts, dried fruits, and boiled sweets.

In addition, if you are driving long distances under cold, snowy, and icy conditions, you should also carry supplies to keep you warm such as heavy woollen gloves, socks, a hat and extra blankets.

Driving safely on icy roads

• Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room for the vehicle in front to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
• Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
• Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
• Keep your lights and windshield clean.
• Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.
• Don't use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
• Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently travelled roads.
• Don't assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and front-wheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads.
• Make sure you can see. Replace windshield wiper blades. Clean the inside of your windows thoroughly. Make sure your windshield washer system works and is full of an anti-freeze fluid.
• Run the air-conditioner. In order to remove condensation and frost from the interior of windows, engage your air-conditioner and select the fresh air option: It's fine to set the temperature on "hot." Many cars automatically do this when you choose the defrost setting.
• Check your lights. Use your headlights so that others will see you. Make sure your headlights and taillights are clear of snow.
• Give yourself a brake. Learn how to get maximum efficiency from your brakes before an emergency. It's easy to properly use antilock brakes: Stomp, stay and steer. Stomp on the pedal as if you were trying to snap it off. Stay hard on the pedal. Steer around the obstacle. A warning: A little bit of steering goes a very long way in an emergency. If you drive on icy roads or roads that are covered with snow, modify your ABS technique: After you "Stomp" and the ABS begins cycling — you will feel pulses in the pedal or hear the system working — ease up slightly on the pedal until the pulsing happens only once a second.

For vehicles without ABS, you'll have to rely on the old-fashioned system: For non-ABS push the
brake pedal hard until the wheels stop rolling, then immediately release the brake enough to allow the wheels to begin turning again. Repeat this sequence rapidly. This is not the same as "pumping the brake." Your goal is to have the tyres producing maximum grip regardless of whether the surface is snow, ice or damp pavement.

• Watch carefully for "black ice." If the road looks slick, it probably is. This is especially true with one of winter's worst hazards: "black ice”. This is transparent ice that often looks like a harmless puddle or is overlooked entirely.
• Remember the tough spots. Remember where icy roads tend to occur. Bridges and back roads are common places.
• Too much steering is bad. The common but incorrect reaction is to continue turning the steering wheel. That won't improve the situation and may make things worse. Sadly, there are situations where nothing will prevent a crash, but turning the steering too much never helps.
• Technology offers no miracles. Four-wheel drive and ABS control can get you into trouble by offering a false sense of security. FWD can only help a vehicle accelerate or keep moving: It can't help you go around a snow-covered turn, much less stop at an icy intersection. ABS can prevent a spinout, but it can't clear ice from the roads or give your tyres more traction. Don't let these lull you into overestimating the available traction.

Regardless of your driving skill or vehicle preparation, there are some winter conditions that can't be conquered. But these tips may help prevent snowy and icy roads from ruining your day.